


The Beginning of Always

by TXShimmergirl17



Category: Original Work
Genre: Drama & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Heartbreak, Love, Relationship(s), Romance, Sex, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-06 17:02:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 22,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11604996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TXShimmergirl17/pseuds/TXShimmergirl17
Summary: Nancy never believed in soulmates.  She thought that the concept was an excuse to hold out for someone, to leave a spouse for anoher person, etc.  But when she couldn't deny the chemistry in the room, the immediate connection, and the physical attraction she began to question everything.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aaron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaron/gifts).



Prologue

She sat on her bed, phone in hand, text written.  She had yet to tap the “send” icon.  What would happen when the message was read?  How would the recipient respond to the words?  In her head she knew the outcome, but her heart wanted for something else.  Her heart wanted the same thing it had wanted for the last 10 years.  Here she sat, knowing that with two words the relationship that they had would change drastically.  Taking a deep breath, she tapped the digital envelope at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.   _ There _ , she thought,  _ the worst part is over _ .  She figured it would take some time to get an answer back, that was his M.O., but this time, this one time that a delayed response would have been welcome, the screen lit up and displayed a text message notification.  One word, just one.  That was how he summed up the last 10 years- one word.  And it told her everything she needed to know.  Or did it?


	2. 1

10 Years Earlier…

Nancy was in her second year of college, and it was proving to be nearly as challenging as the first. She only liked one of her classes and the rest were not on any topic that she genuinely cared about. The worst class, though, was her college algebra class. She never understood why she needed to “solve for x” or why anyone needed to know “if train A leaves the depot at 10:00 A.M., going 45mph, and is heading East, and train B leaves the same depot at 3:00 P.M., and is going West at 50mph, how far away will train A be from train B at midnight”. There was no convincing her that these were useful equations in the real world. It all seemed rather elementary. The plan for Nancy was to finish school and then work in the family business. It wasn’t a glamourous plan, but it made her parents happy and she hadn’t really ever thought about what she wanted to do when she grew up.

The only good thing about the college algebra class was Nancy’s friend. Nancy was a transfer student, and while she would classify herself as an extrovert, she was shy in her new surroundings. She had transfered to a new school for the second year of college, so when a girl in her college algebra class asked if she’d like to hang out, Nancy really didn’t feel like she could turn down the offer. The girl’s name was Katrina, and not only was she a local to the college town, she had a multitude of friends that she had made during her previous two semesters. That first time Nancy went to meet Katrina’s friends was a day that would give her some of the longest friendships of her life.

Jack was one of the first that Nancy met. He was tall, blond hair, and an avid comedian, at least in his mind. He made Nancy feel at ease, like they’d known each other forever. He was dating a girl named Danielle. You never wanted to be on Danielle’s bad side. She was feisty and opinionated, and had a deep obsession with Japanese culture. Then there was Jorge, he was funny, smart, and very sarcastic. He had an almost-unhealthy interest in comic books and gaming. He was also the one that Katrina clearly had her eye on, much like Danielle had her eye on Jack. None of the romantic politics bothered Nancy, she didn’t care for either Jack or Jorge, part of her was still tied to someone else.

Nancy had dated a guy back in her freshman year of college. There was immediate chemistry, but because one of the friends expressed an interest, Nancy tried to not give the guy too much of her attention. Apparently, she didn’t need to worry about it because the guy was not interested in Nancy’s friend, much to Nancy’s delight. The couple was on-again off-again most of the year, and Nancy had never felt anything like she did with this guy. They parted ways at the end of freshman year. It had been months since she had seen him, but Nancy’s heart still hadn’t fully recovered.

By Labor Day Weekend, though, Nancy and her new group of friends were practically inseparable, sans classes. They would meet up before classes, gab and gossip over coffee and pastries. At lunch they would pile into someone’s car, and head off to eat at one of the nearby fast food joints. After afternoon classes they would trade out whose place was being invaded for studying and hanging out. The routine worked for them, not always their roommates, but these young adults felt like they had what everyone wants, and they were young and carefree.

It was a couple of weeks after Labor Day, just as the weather in Texas was really thinking about possibly cooling off, when Nancy and Katrina were heading off to lunch. The others wanted to stay on campus and get in some studying for midterms. As the two friends made their way to the parking lot, Katrina’s phone rang. Nancy slowed her pace, to match Katrina's, who had a difficult time walking and talking on the phone at the same time. It didn’t take long for Nancy to figure out that the person on the other end of the line was the elusive George.

George was a friend of Katrina’s who had been introduced to her through Jack and Jorge. The three guys had been friends in high school, and they very happily decided to attend the same college. Everyone in the group had met George, all except Nancy. George’s class schedule was different from everyone else’s so he arrived on campus later than the others, which put his lunch break in a time block when the rest were getting ready to leave campus for the day. For weeks, it had been a running joke of Nancy’s that George didn’t actually exist because she had yet to meet him.

“Oh, I see you!”

Nancy looked in the direction that Katrina was facing and watched as a young man approached him. She had only heard his voice through the phone when he spoke with Katrina. The face that went with the voice was … unexpected. Nancy could feel her heart rate quicken, her palms warmed, and she had to catch her breath. He was gorgeous. He had soft, brown hair and kind eyes- that were also brown. But what got her was his smile, it was bright and sincere. Nancy had never felt this kind of intense attraction so quickly. Their eyes locked and George smiled at Nancy.

“You must be Nancy, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s me. I actually was starting to think that you weren’t real.”

He laughed and explained that between his job and the class load, he didn’t have much extra time, but now that the semester was under way he hoped to find more time to socialize. The excuse seemed heartfelt so the girls accepted it and were soon on their way to Nancy’s car. The feelings that hit Nancy still hadn’t faded and her hand fumbled around in her purse for the keys. It was so bad that when she did find the keys she dropped them on the ground, at her feet, while Katrina laughed and called her a clutz. Nancy didn’t try to defend herself as she unlocked the doors and they got into the car.


	3. 2

By Christmas break, Nancy had a full-fledged crush on George, and her freshman year boyfriend was a thing of the past.  True to his word, George had made an effort to spend more time with, not only the small group of six, but the larger friend base that Katrina, Jack, and Jorge shared.  At Halloween everyone gathered at Nancy’s house for a party.  They humored themselves with bad horror movies, candy, and some cheap costumes.  Nancy wore her Arwen costume, including a replica Evenstar necklace.  For the most part, Nancy wouldn’t have called herself a nerd or geek, but she was a big fan of Lord of the Rings.  She read the books three times in high school, and saw the movies each more than once.  But her taste for replica jewelry and portraying such an iconic character stopped at the Halloween costume phase.

 

Katrina was wearing her hair in pigtails with some black and red stockings that were under a black tutu.  She claimed that she was dressed at Harley Quinn, a sidekick of the Joker in the Batman comics.  The guys that were at the party, Jorge and Jack, were wearing regular clothes.  Danielle came in her work uniform, which was khaki pants and a bright blue polo shirt.  Nancy tried to not let it bother her that George was working and had promised that he would try and stop by later.  Everyone wanted to support Nancy’s feelings so they stuck around until after midnight, knowing that there was no way George would arrive anywhere after that hour, unless it was his own home.  

 

But the Halloween party aside, Nancy and George got along in storybook fashion.  He was the youngest of two boys, still living at home to save his parents from housing expenses.  Not only was he funny, it was the kind of funny that was well timed and not forced.  He knew when to make a joke and when to back down and let the conversation become serious.  Nancy hadn’t spent too much time alone with George, but she felt a connection with him.  She felt like she could see a future with him.

 

She wasn’t very sure where George stood on his feelings for Nancy, so she tried to shut up about it and let things happen.  But there were, of course, a few instances where she let her feelings get the better of her.  She admitted that she probably shouldn’t have visited the grocery store where George worked as often as she did, especially since it was on the other side of town from her rental house.  And she didn’t need to ask the guys to invite him to every single thing the group did.  But she was an addict.  Nancy was addicted to the pounding in her chest that she felt whenever George was around.  She was addicted to the butterflies in her stomach that she got when he would sit next to her.  And she was addicted to hearing his deep, southern accented voice as he spoke.  

 

As the weather cooled down and the Christmas music played over radio stations and in stores, the chemistry between Nancy and George started to become undeniable to everyone.  Jack and Jorge would share knowing glances at each other whenever they saw George look at Nancy for prolonged periods of time.  Nancy caught on to Jack and Jorge, and even called them out on it one afternoon.  Jack, having known George for many years, told Nancy that George wasn’t usually as obvious as he had started to become in regards to observing Nancy when she was around.  The news lifted Nancy’s spirits and encouraged her feelings to keep growing. 

 

After finals, the group got together for one last party before Nancy left town for the holidays.  Nancy had spent time getting gifts for everyone so she was pleased that everyone could come over and open their presents.  Katrina and Danielle ripped into their gift bags and squealed with excitement.  Danielle had received a book on Japanese customs, while Katrina was gifted a large poster of Harley Quinn.  The guys all got different socks that had their favorite superhero on them.  

 

The evening began to wind down and Nancy was soon saying goodbye to her friends.  Most had left, in fact all had, but George.  He waited until everyone was gone to give Nancy a small package that he pulled from his pocket.  She carefully tore the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box.  Nancy gasped with delight.  Inside was a vintage locket, similar to one that her grandmother had worn.  

 

“Do you like it?”  

 

Nancy nodded and handed the box back to George, lifted her hair and turned around so he could put the necklace on her.  Not only could she feel the cold metal against her neck, but also the warmth from George’s fingers as he closed the clasp and let the chain fall.  It was the most perfect moment that they had shared.  Nancy’s stomach was in the floor, heart pounding, all while she has the desperate desire to kiss George.  She turned to face him and they both paused for a few seconds, seemingly to be having the same thoughts.  

 

_ I just wish he would kiss me _ , Nancy thought as her heart continued to pound.   _ Can he hear my heart?  Does he see how my chest is moving up and down so fast? _

 

It wouldn’t take much to notice Nancy’s breasts moving faster than normal.  She had grown into a D-cup her senior year of high school and was happy to have the breast size that filled our her figure.  Her least favorite part of the body was her abdomen.  It was not slim, not like many of her girl friends, in fact is was the place that gained weight before her butt, legs, or arms.  But in the moment, the moment at hand. Nancy was not paying any attention to her waist.

 

Before either George or Nancy could do or say anything else, Nancy’s roommate came in the front door.  The moment was gone and George left without saying anything else.  Nancy watched his pickup truck pull away.  Annoyed with her roommate, Nancy went to her bedroom and laid down on her bed.  Her mind swirled with thoughts of George and she soon fell asleep, fully clothed.

  
  



	4. 3

“So what did you get for Christmas?”

 

“Some clothes, a new steering wheel cover, and some other things.”

 

“What other things?”

 

“I got this really great locket.”

 

“Oh yeah?  Who gave you that?”

 

“Uh, you did. ;-)”

 

The texting between Nancy and George had begun the day after he gave her the necklace.  He sent her a message to apologize for leaving so awkwardly, and she told him that she understood.  After that the conversation began to flow easily and went pretty much all day, except when George was at work.  Each time Nancy’s text message notification made a noise her heart skipped a beat and she excitedly opened the message.  They talked about everything and Nancy loved it.  Her family tried to tease her but she ignored them, she knew they wouldn’t understand the feelings she had.  While Nancy was grateful for the break from her classes, she was also ready to get back to school so she could see George.  

 

* * *

The first day back, Nancy was running behind because she spent more time on her hair and makeup than normal, just in case she ran into George.  She straightened her wavy, brown hair perfectly, which took the most time, nearly and hour.  Then she applied eyeliner and mascara to her brown eyes.  She picked a pair of jeans and a pink, scoop neck shirt to wear.  RIght as she was about to leave, Nancy grabbed her locket necklace and quickly put it on.

 

When she got to her first class, Nancy was pleased to see some familiar faces from her fall semester.  The class that really grabbed her attention the most was Intro to Psychology.  She was eager to learn more about the interworkings of the mind and why people act the way they do.  After the class was over, Nancy headed to the regular meet up spot to see if her friends were ready to get lunch.  Jack and Danielle were on opposite sides of the couch where they group usually met.  

 

Nancy sat down between Jack and Danielle and waited for one of them to speak first.  The trio sat in silence until Katrina and Jorge walked over and asked what was going on.  Danielle spoke first and said that she and Jack broke up over the holidays.  The news came as a surprise to the group, except Nancy.  Jack had confided in her over the break that he was tired of getting pushed around and having demands made of him.  Nancy kept her mouth shut, not wanting to break the confidence, or hurt Danielle.  Once George came in, the girls left for lunch.

 

The rest of Nancy’s day was spent giving time and energy to Danielle.  It was pretty obvious, at least to Nancy, that Jack was in the right, but she dared not express her honest opinion.  Danielle went on and on about how she was “half a virgin” when she met Jack, and how he was an “immature mess” before they got together.  Some of the phrases that Danielle used made Nancy want to laugh, but she held back, she knew better than to be on Danielle’s bad side.  During the conversation, Katrina stroked Danielle’s back and nodded her head a lot.  After listening to Danielle for the entire afternoon, Nancy’s phone vibrated and she excused herself to the restroom.  The text was from George.

 

“Are things bad on your end?  With Daniell?”

 

“Yes.  It’s bad.”

 

She sent the reply and waited a minute for a new message from George.  

 

“I don’t want to be in the middle.”

 

“I know what you mean.”

 

Nancy was relieved that George seemed as uninterested in Jack and Danielle’s break up as she was.  When she came out of the bathroom, she made up an excuse and left Danielle and Katrina’s apartment.  When she got in her car, she debated sending George a text, but decided against it.  The day certainly hadn’t ended up like she expected.

 

It took about two weeks for things to settle down between Danielle and Jack.  The breakup caused a small rift in group dynamics in the way of the girls spending time with Danielle and the guys with Jack.  That meant that Nancy was spending less time with George, whose class schedule was all over the place, again, and his hours at work picked up, as well.  One evening, when George was closing, Nancy convinced Katrina to come with her and they sat in the parking lot of the grocery store until George came out.  He greeted them and chatted for a few minutes before having to go home to study.  

 

Nancy was completely unhappy with how things had cooled down with George.  She felt that if he had more time available then he would develop feelings for her.  In her head, she had it all worked out.  But the weeks turned into a month, and before she knew it, the semester was coming to a close.  

 

The Intro to Psychology class that Nancy had been taking did have one other good quality.  His name was Ben.  Nancy had spent the last couple of months staring at the back of his head.  He’d borrowed a pencil from her a few times and he had a nice smile.  He was very tall with an athletic build.  They never talked, other than him asking for a pencil.  But that changed the last day of the semester.

 

On that last day, after Nancy finished her Computer final, she went to meet up with her friends, and there was Ben, making conversation with Jack and Jorge and a few others that she didn’t recognize.  Ben smiled at her and struck up a conversation.  They spoke for a few minutes and he flirted with her, right in front of everyone.  When nearly ten minutes had gone by, Ben left for a final and as he walked away Nancy was disappointed because he didn’t ask for her number.

 

The next day an unknown number popped up and Nancy thought about ignoring it.  She changed her mind and was pleasantly surprised that Ben was on the other line.  He told her that he had asked five people if they had her number before he finally got it from George.  Apparently, Ben and George had gone to high school together.  Nancy was both flattered and annoyed all at the same time.  She was flattered that someone was interested enough to ask for her number.  She was annoyed because George gave it away so willingly.

 

Going out with Ben was not what Nancy would consider to be romantic.  At first, he invited her to a co-ed volleyball game with some friends.  She met some nice people and had fun, but he didn’t spend too much time with her.  Another night he invited her to dinner, which ended up being with another couple.  It was at a restaurant that gave a discount on a specific night for tacos.  Nancy was less than impressed, in fact, she was actually insulted.  The thing that she did like about Ben was that they could talk for hours.  And that ended up with kissing.  And that turned into heavy making out.  

 

When things were approaching the four week mark, Ben became distant and acted oddly whenever they were together.  Nancy had her suspicions.  A week before, she had gone over to Ben’s house and there were a couple of girls there, friends of Ben’s roommate.  Ben had seemed pretty interested in one of the girls and Nancy figured they were going to stop seeing each other.  She was just about to decide she was over-analyzing things when Ben broke things off.  That night, Nancy got in her car, rolled down her windows and blasted the Natasha Bedingfield song _Single_ as she drove around town to clear her head.

 


	5. 4

Nancy decided midway through her spring semester that she would stay in her rental house during the summer so she could earn some money in town.  The fact that she was staying in town was a cause for celebration, at least her friends thought so.  They planned a party and invited some people from their extended group.  Nancy was happy to go out to dinner and have a good time.  George was busy with work, so he didn’t show up.  But Nancy filled the night with conversations with Jack, Danielle, Katrina, Jorge and Jorge’s friend Roberto.  

 

Roberto was not in school with the rest of them, but he was an old friend, like a brother, to Jorge.  He had a nice place not far from campus and was working regularly in a paint factory.  He was friendly, and would try and flirt with Nancy, on occasion.  She wasn’t attracted to him, but she enjoyed his sense of humor so they quickly became friends.  

 

A few nights after the party, Jorge, Katrina, Roberto and Nancy all got tickets to see another friend in the local theater’s spring play.  They didn’t usually have a reason to dress up, so Nancy was exstatic to put on her little black dress.  She had only worn it a few times so when she found out that she needed to dress up she knew what to wear.  Her dress was a light fabric and had spaghetti straps.  There was no need for a bra, it had a bra insert, which she very much liked.  The fabric clung to all the right places and it showed off her shoulder blades- her sexiest feature, in her mind.

 

The foursome left early so they could find their seats without climbing over too many people.  They had stopped to pick up some flowers for their friend, Gary, who was in the play.  The guys sat on the outer two seats so that Katrina and Nancy could sit together.  The play was traditional Shakespeare, which Nancy loved.  The actors were wonderful and there were parts where Nancy and her friends had tears in their eyes.  

 

After the play, they waited outside the dressing room for Gary.  He came out in his normal clothes, but still with all of his stage makeup.  The girls greeted him with big hugs and the guys shook his hand.  Then they all took turns being in photos with Gary, they even managed a group shot.  Gary thanked them for coming and for the flowers.  

 

When Nancy and her friends got back to Roberto’s place, she suddenly had a craving for Cheetos.  The store where George worked wasn’t too far away so she hopped in her car and headed that way.   As she crossed the threshold to the store, Nancy’s stomach did flip-flops.  Then she reminded herself that she looked hot and that George was an idiot for giving her number away to some guy who picked a some stranger over her.

 

Nancy found her bag of chips and then meandered around.  She had spotted George when she walked inside, so now her mission was to get him to approach her and maybe get him to realize what an utter fool he had been.  She strutted around the aisles of the store, where she would be in George’s view, but not close enough for him to see her looking out of the corner of her eyes to see if he was watching her.  Finally, she acted like she had made a decision on what soup she wanted, and walked towards his direction.  He acknowledged her with a wave and then was called over the speaker.  Annoyed, Nancy went to the check-out line and, after purchasing a bag of chips and two cas of soup, left the store.  

 

When she got back to Roberto’s apartment, he made some comment about how long it took for her to run a simple errand.  Just as he made the comment, Katrina and Jorge’s voices got loud.  Nancy and Roberto retreated to the balcony and sat down on the ground, their legs swinging around below.  

 

“You know, I think you’re really great, Nancy.”

 

_ Oh no _ , she thought.  _  No, no no. _

 

“I really like you and I was wondering what you’d think about being my girlfriend.”

 

“Roberto…”

 

“Look, you’ve had a crush on a moron and he’s so stupid for just being dumb and being wishy-washy.  I like you, Nancy.”

 

Nancy took a deep breath before speaking.  

 

“I think you’re great, I really do.  And this isn’t about George.  I just don’t see you that way.  I love spending time with you, as friends.  I mean, I know this will sound mean, but I just can’t imagine kissing you.  And I truly value our friendship, I’m just not attracted to you.”

 

“Ok.  I still think that George is a moron.”

 

She laughed.

 

“Oh he definitely is!”

 

Nancy opened the bag of Cheetos and they started snacking.  Then Roberto spoke again, between bites.

 

“You saw George at the store, didn’t you.  That’s why you took so long.”

 

Nancy nodded, “You know, he didn’t say one word to me.  I walked around and strutted in front of him for about fifteen minutes and he didn’t say a word.”

 

George replied. “Yeah, he’s dumb you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

 

“Well, thank you.”

 

A few minutes later, the noise inside died down and Nancy and Roberto headed back in.  Not too long later, Nancy left to go home.  She had no idea that after she did, Roberto went into a fit about her turning him down.  The next day, Roberto was in a sour mood, which annoyed Nancy because he had seemed okay the night before.  But he went on and on that he hated life, life sucked, life wasn’t fair, etc.  It made Nancy mad and she called Georgo.  No answer.  Nancy screened Roberto’s calls for the rest of the day and stayed home, sans going to work.  

 

The next afternoon, George called Nancy back and got the whole down low of what had happened after Nancy left the store.  George offered to talk to Roberto about the situation in hopes that Roberto would calm down.  George then invited Nancy to have lunch with him and Danielle and Katrina.  Having no other plans, Nancy agreed.  The lunch was entertaining and helped put Nancy in a better mood.  After the other girls left, George and Nancy stayed behind to talk.  He asked for her to go more in depth about what had happened with Roberto.

 

“I don’t know what to say, George.  He seemed fine with I left.  He asked me to be his girlfriend and I turned him down. He’s a nice guy but he’s not my type.  He’s never acting this way around me before.  I don’t understand.”

 

“Wait,” George said, “Did he see you in that dress?”

 

“Yes…”

 

“I bet that’s what set him off.”

 

_ Well, I _ _  think that’s a compliment. _

 


	6. 5

A couple of months later, George mentioned to Nancy that he was transferring to another college in the fall.  Nancy was sad, and even had a dream about it.  She dreamt that they were hanging out one day, just the two of them, and he said he was going off to a different school.  She looked at him, sadly.

 

“You’re leaving me?”

 

He wrapped her in his arms and  replied, “I’ll never leave you.”  Then kissed her.

 

The dream was so vivid that Nancy wished it was real.  She hated how back and forth George was towards her.  Some days he was very flirtatious, in front of their friends and everyone.  And other das he would ignore her and disappear.  Her stomach churned when she thought about him moving away and her not being able to see him very often.  The compliment that George had given her about the night she went to the play was still in the back of her mind.  He clearly wasn’t blind but she couldn’t figure him out.

 

A few days before George moved to his new school, the group got together.  George was also showing off his new car; a white SUV, American made.  He let Nancy get inside, on the passenger side, he went around and sat in the driver’s seat.  They talked about the car’s features for a bit, and then began flirting.  He touched her hand some and it sent tingles up her arm and then down her spine.  Then, she decided to say what she had said in her dream.

 

“So, you’re leaving me?”

 

He looked over at her and responded, not missing a beat, “No.”

 

He smiled at her and said, “I’m not going to be far and I’ll be around on the weekends.  I promise,” he took her hand, “this isn’t goodbye.”

 

Summer for Nancy moved fairly quickly.  She was caught up working quite a bit, and doing the usual hanging out with Danielle, Katrina, Jorge, Jack, and Roberto.  As the end of summer approached, Nancy dreaded saying goodbye to George.  One night she was with everyone, except George, and she had a few too many jello shots and fell asleep.  Another night, Nancy drank a bottle of wine by herself.  She did drive herself home, stupidly, and at least it was late enough in the night, or early enough in the morning, that no one else was on the road.  She had a terrible hangover the next day, and skipped her first day of class.  

 

On her 21st birthday, Nancy went to her morning classes and then met up with her friends for lunch.  They went to a nearby franchise that has good mixed drinks so that Nancy could have her first legal drink.  She flirted with the bartender and he let her have a free shot for her birthday.  After lunch, Nancy knew she was not going to make it to her afternoon class, so her friends drove her home.

 

Two weeks later, Nancy found herself hanging around with a new girl friend, Tiffany.  They had met through Danielle and instantly clicked.  On that particular day, though, Nancy was whining about how she hadn’t heard from George since he left for school, and he hadn’t returned her calls, all three of them.  Tiffany finally got tired of it and told Nancy that they were going to meet up with some guy friends of Tiffany’s.  When they arrived, the guys bought Nancy some shots and she was soon very drunk.  It was not the best time to pull out her phone and call George, but she wasn’t thinking clearly, obviously.

 

“Hey George!  It’s Nancy!  Why did you move so far away?  That’s mean.  And I miss you.  You don’t ever call me.  That makes me miss you.  Okay?  I miss you!”

 

The guys at the table laughed and started to order water for Nancy, it was clear that she needed to be cut off.  Tiffany took Nancy home and made her swear to not call George anymore.  The next day, George called Nancy.  He apologized for not calling her back sooner, he had been adjusting to his new classes and new living situation.  They talked for about an hour and Nancy realized how silly she had been acting.  He wasn’t her boyfriend and he wasn’t ever going to be if she didn’t calm down.  

 

The breakthrough made Nancy realize that she needed to take advantage of George being away and focus on meeting some new guys.  Over the next few weeks, Nancy did just was she vowed.  She and Tiffany went out a few times and Nancy gave her number to a couple of different guys.  She was starting to feel more confident and made sure to always be dressed well when she was out.  It was a new chapter for Nancy and she was excited.


	7. 6

It didn’t take long for the new Nancy to gain some attention from George.  He had heard, through friends, that Nancy was out and about and meeting new guys.  Nancy knew that her friends had shared the information, they told her as much.  She pretended to not care, but she did.  She wanted George to realize that he had missed out on her, at least for the time being.  Nancy’s evenings, the ones that weren’t spent at work, found her on a string of first dates.  She referred to it as “dating for dinner.”

 

The key to her success on getting so many guys interested was due to her impressive, fake British accent.  She knew that it made her exotic and interesting.  She had visited London during high school so she had some knowledge of things, like Piccadilly Circus, the Tower of London, and even a small town called Warwick- a place known for its castle fortress.  The guys she met at the clubs ate it up and loved meeting a girl from the other side of the pond.

 

The only time that the tactic almost backfired was when she was taken to dinner at a restaurant where someone from her small high school worked.  He was waiting on her table and looked at her funny when she used the accent.  Then he motioned, with his head, for her to meet him in the back.  Nancy excused herself and explained why her date thought she was British.  The rest of the date was difficult to get through without blowing her cover, but she managed.  After that experience, she dropped the accent when talking to new guys.

 

She did start dating a new guy that she had met in one of her classes, Kevin.  He was younger, and not her usual physical type.  He flirted with her quite a bit in her class and invited her out to lunch one afternoon.  He was rough around the edges, and far more sexually experienced than she, and she wasn’t truly comfortable with some of his habits- he smoked, and he never wore underwear.  But he gave her tons of attention, something she hadn’t ever experienced.  He’d had a crush on her when classes first started, but she hadn’t paid much attention.

 

Nancy and Kevin spent most every day together. He had to work hard to get to call her his girlfriend, but she did allow it after a couple of weeks.  She spent a lot of time with his friends, which weren’t really her kind of people, but she did it to please Kevin.  His friends were just as skeptical about her as she was about them.  They rolled pot and smoked it while making dinner, passed it around the living room, gave tequila shots out to everyone, and used language that would make a sailor blush.  Nancy’s friends weren’t squeaky clean, but they didn’t act like this group.  

 

When Nancy brought Kevin around, her friends questioned her choice in a boyfriend, especially Jack.  He had always been in her corner when it came to George, and these two guy had nothing in common.  Roberto really hated Kevin, he thought Kevin was a big step down from some of the other guys that Nancy had gone out with.  It got to the point where Nancy felt like she had to avoid bringing Kevin around when she was going to see her friends because of how vocal they were with their disdain.  All of them, except Danielle.  

 

The few times that Kevin was around Danielle they became very flirtatious with each other.  They would poke each other, tease, and Danielle even rubbed his shoulders one night.  It bothered Nancy, but she knew that Danielle was taking her “break” from Jack hard, as usual- this was their third break in a year.  Nancy tried to not let Kevin and Danielle’s actions bother her, no reason to be jealous since she was the one that Kevin was dating and spending all of his time with.

 

When the spring semester was a few days away, Kevin arranged for him and Nancy to go on a double date.  Nancy hadn’t met the other couple before so when Kevin and his friends came to pick her up for dinner there were introductions.  They made their way to the movie theater and Kevin sat with his hands in his lap.  Nancy noted that he was acting odd during the movie, and he did so during the dinner portion of the date, as well.  Nancy had no idea why Kevin was being so strange, but she figured he was just being a guy. 

 

After dinner, they headed back to Nancy’s house and dropped her off.  Kevin walked her inside and then promptly started to speak.  He told her that she was nice but they didn’t work well anymore and that he was starting to have feelings for someone else.  Nancy knew who it was and she asked him, point blank.

 

“Is it Danielle?  It is isn’t it?”

 

“No, it’s just someone.  It’s not Danielle.”

 

Nancy scoffed and told Kevin to get out.  She was furious.  Yes, she wasn’t very emotionally tied to the relationship but she didn’t think he would be the one to call things off.  She called Jack and he came over, along with George.  Her phone rang shortly after they arrived and it was Danielle, she was calling to check on Nancy.  Nancy thought that was odd since she hadn’t told Danielle anything.  Danielle broke the news that Kevin had come over to her place a few nights ago and talked about breaking up with Nancy.  While Danielle tried to explain that nothing had happened between her and Kevin, Nancy hung up the phone, pissed off.

 

The guys stayed for a while and cheered her up.  They made jokes about how weird Kevin was and that it was gross for him to go commando.  They somehow got on the topic of stage kissing and Jack tried to demonstrate his version, which consisted of placing one full hand over the mouth and then kissing the hand.  Nancy laughed and said she knew of a better version.  Jack asked her to show it off.  

 

“Fine!  I will!”

 

Nancy took George’s face in her hands, placed her thumbs on his lips and kissed him.  She misplaced her thumbs and they didn’t fully cover George’s mouth.  Their lips touched, a little.  Nancy pulled away.  George looked at her, shocked.  But then he smiled and told Jack that her stage kiss was the more believable.  The guys continued to taunt each other while Nancy had to catch her breath.  She had just kissed George.  


	8. 7

The very next day, Nancy had the early shift at her restaurant.  She waited on her tables with a lot of confusion in her heart.  Was this the push that George needed?  Did he need to see her so hurt by someone that he wanted to protect her from heartache?  Nancy had no answers.  She had thought that she was over him, but the stage kiss gave her pause.   When her shift was over, Nancy sent a text message to her friends to see who was available to come over.  She didn’t want to spend the evening alone with her confusion.  

 

Nancy’s friend, Gale, someone that her group of friends had adopted into their clique, was able to come for a while.  She listened as Nancy told her all about how Kevin said he wasn’t interested in Danielle but she _knew_ he was lying.  Nancy was so mad at Danielle.  It was in the middle of the diatribe that Nancy got a text message from George, replying to her message earlier.  He told her that he was on his way over.  Before he arrived, Nancy told Gale about the stage kiss she had done of George.  Gale’s eyebrows raised up and she smiled.  She was definitely a fan of George and Nancy getting together.

 

When George sat down in the living room, Gale asked if Nancy could show them something in the bedroom.  The three of them headed to Nancy’s room and she put on an episode of an anime that she liked.  Twenty-four minutes later, Gale left the others and headed home.  The tension that Nancy hadn’t really paid attention to for the last few months had shown up again.  Her heart pounded in her chest as they watched another episode of anime.  George was sitting next to Nancy on the bed and she felt him scoot over closer to her just minutes after Gale left.  

 

When the episode ended, Nancy looked and George.  His eyes had a look in them that she hadn’t ever seen before, at least not in his eyes.  It was as if he was looking into her mind and could see her thoughts.  He placed a hand on her neck and and moved in towards her.  She closed her eyes.  

 

Fireworks.

 

Nancy leaned in as George kissed her.  She put an arm around him and ran her hand up and down his back.  She could feel his heart beating faster and fast.  The kissing soon had moans accompanying from both parties.  George shifted and laid Nancy down on her back.  He looked deeply into her eyes again and watched as her chest moved up and down underneath the V-neck t-shirt she was wearing.  He put a hand on her clavicle and moved it down toward her cleavage.  It caused Nancy to throw her head back and expose more of her neck.  George took the hint and began to lightly kiss her neck, first in the front and then moved to the left side, followed by the right.  When he got to her right ear, Nancy let out a long moan.  George’s body pressed down on hers and she could feel the the hard member between his legs.  

 

As George moved over her body, kissing as much exposed skin as he dared. Nancy let her hands shift from his soft hair to his back and even down to his round, firm, butt.  As he began to kiss her breasts, she squeezed his left butt cheek.  He moaned.  It was this, this intimacy, that she had waited so long for.  There was no denying the chemistry.  His kisses were gentle and perfect.  The way he touched her body was comfortable.  She felt safe.  

 

Time seemed to stand still as they kept shifting around and finding spots that made each other moan and tingle.  Nancy had made out with plenty of guys but nothing had felt like this.  Nothing had felt right.  When they finally came up for air, George began playing with Nancy’s hair, carefully twisting a few strands around his fingers.  Nancy laid on her stomach and placed her head on George’s chest.  He stroked her hair, and she purred.  He smiled and laughed and called her his kitten.  

 

After a few minutes, Nancy moved up and kissed George, intending it to just be a quick peck.  But apparently that was all the invitation he needed.  He pulled her close with the hand that was in her hair, and kissed her, this time with more force.  She gave in, of course.  He got on top, again, this time she let him get in between her legs.  He moved the collar of her shirt down and kissed her breasts, then began gently sucking.  Nancy felt something she hadn’t ever before.  Her whole body was moving, uncontrollably.  She moans as he placed a hand on the breast he wasn’t sucking.  She felt the tender squeeze of her bosom in his hand.  

 

Nancy felt like no matter what happened, or how far it went, she could trust him.  She had never believed in soulmates.  She felt like it was an excuse to get out of a marriage and be with someone else.  But right in the moment, where everything she had waited for was happening, Nancy wondered if soulmates did exist.  She had never felt like this when she was making out with a guy.  And she never let a guy touch her, or kiss her, like this.  But with George, it was different.  He wasn’t aggressive, it was like he knew what she wanted and how to touch her.  If he wanted to pull off his pants and make love to her, she wasn’t sure she would be able to resist.  

 

She could feel his penis throbbing inside of his pants as his body pressed against hers.  Silly as it was, it comforted her to know that he was getting just as riled up as she was.  She reached down and touched the bulge in his pants and he let out another moan and said, “Oh, yes.”  She looked at him and smiled.  He winked at her.  She unzipped his pants and was ready to move in when she felt something vibrating.

 

Buzz!  Buzz!  Buzz!

 

Nancy pulled her hand away and sat up, startling George.  He released her from his arms and moved back to sit on his knees.  

 

“What is vibrating in your pants?!”

 

He touched a pocket.  It was a text message.  From his mom.  

 

Nancy pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  She tilted her head and looked at him.  

 

“You have to go?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

She reached out to him with a hand and he took it.

 

“I wish you could stay.”

 

“Me, too,” he said, and kissed her hand.

 

He sat for a few more seconds, letting his erection go down and then used a tissue to pat down a damp area on his boxes.  He zipped up his pants and kissed her goodbye.  Nancy didn’t walk him to the door., she wanted to stay exactly where she was so that she could absorb everything that had just happened.  She played back each touch, kiss, and moan in her head.  This wasn’t about just being physical, it was about being intimate and connecting.  Unable to fall asleep for hours, 

Nancy pulled her journal from her book shelf and wrote down everything, including a quote she had seen on a fortune cookie earlier that day.

 

“Remember tonight for it is the beginning of always.”


	9. 8

It didn’t take long for things to fizzle.  In fact, the next week when classes resumed George was just as scarce as before.  He was better about keeping in touch with Nancy, and there was still flirting involved when they would hang out, but it wasn’t the same.  But then, life for Nancy started to change.  

 

Nancy was in a car accident in February.  She was driving on the freeway in the middle lane.  There was a minivan in the left lane and their front right tire blew out.  They were swerving all over the road.  The empty hubcap on their vehicle cut into the side of Nancy’s car, near the driver’s door and her front left wheel.  She slammed on her brakes and the seatbelt tightened.  Her shoulder ached, but otherwise she was okay.  The accident scared her and she ended up with a rental car for a few months while hers was being repaired.  

 

A month after the car accident, Nancy’s maternal grandfather fell very ill.  She dropped out of school and went back home to be with her family.  She moved back in with her parents and began working for a small office doing some clerical work.  When her grandfather passed she was devastated.  Her mom was, too.  Time stood still.  He was the first grandparent of Nancy’s to pass away.  When they gathered at the national cemetery for the graveside service, Nancy sat on one side of her grandmother, her mom on the other.  The servicemen took the flag from her grandfather’s casket and folded it.  One of them kneeled down in front of her grandmother, removed his white glove, and said, “I’m sorry for you loss.”  Tears fell freely from all three women’s eyes.  

 

The next month was another challenge as Nancy’s shoulder kept giving her pain.  She sat down with an orthopedic surgeon, who recommended that she get a dye cast MRI.  The dye made Nancy’s stomach get upset and she hated the noise of the MRI machine.  But she made it through the test and it was revealed that Nancy had a tear in her rotator cuff.  Surgery was scheduled for a couple of weeks later.  The day of the surgery, Nancy was scared.  She had never been put under anesthesia before and wasn’t sure what kind of side effects she would have.  

 

The weeks that followed were difficult.  Her shoulder throbbed with pain, but the pain medication that Nancy was on made her horribly ill to the point where she couldn’t keep any food in her stomach.  But she needed the pain medication because her shoulder hurt so much.  When her mom found her laying on the floor of the bathroom, crying, it was time to get a new pain medication.

 

It was a long summer of recovery and physical therapy for Nancy.  Her surgery was in late May and it was the end of September before she was able to make a trip down to see her friends.  They had called and text messaged her a lot during the recovery, Jorge and Roberto even drove up to see her and catch her up on everything.  When Nancy was able to make it down to see her friends she was so glad.  Mostly, though, she was excited to see George.  

 

She and George kept in touch some, not as much as she would have liked, but after getting coffee with Roberto, George called Nancy and asked if she had plans for lunch.  She met up with George at a Chinese food restaurant and he even paid for her meal, which was a pleasant surprise.  He asked how her shoulder was doing and she filled him in on the last bit of the therapy she’d been doing lately.  He talked about his part time job and his classes.  They talked for a couple of hours and soon it was time for Nancy to meet up with another friend.  George walked Nancy to her car and gave her a hug.

 

“Can I see you before you go back home?”

 

Nancy nodded.  They both stood there looking at each other for a few seconds and George took a step towards her and kissed her, gently, on the lips.  Nancy opened her mouth and let his tongue meet hers.  She felt him take her head in one hand, and wrap his other around her and grabbed her waist.  The fact that they were standing in the parking escaped them both.  George broke off the kiss after a few minutes, but continued to hold her in his arms.  That feeling of total safety came over Nancy.  She finally took a step away, she was completely backed up to the driver’s side door of her car. It took her a minute to get the car unlocked, she was still a little sexually flustered from the kiss.  Every feeling that she’d had for George ten months ago came rushing back.  

 

Two days later, Nancy and George met up at a coffee shop.  They talked for four hours, Nancy was surprised that they still had anything to share after the previous encounter.  They got to talking about families and what they each wanted one day.  George told her that he wanted to be able to provide for his family so that his wife didn’t have to work is she didn’t want to.  Nancy, not thinking, blurted out that she felt that the wife’s place was in the home- and the kitchen.  George raised an eyebrow,

 

“Say that again.”

 

“What?”

 

“What you just said.”

 

“What- about the wife’s place is in the home?”

 

“Yeah.  You really believe that?”

 

Nancy nodded.  George sat back in his chair and smiled.

 

“What?  You don’t?”  She asked.

 

“I do.  I just haven’t met many girls who think so, too.”

 

“Well,” she said, flipping her hair, “i’m not most girls.”

 

“No, you certainly are not,” he said as a grin crept across his face.  

 

She hated that they were still in a place where George didn’t feel like they could have a relationship.  It was so hard for Nancy to be so attracted to someone, who clearly cared for her, who was still so far away.  Listening to George describe the “white picket fence” life that he wanted to give his wife and children one day made Nancy fall for him even more, if that was possible.  At this point she was sure that they were destined to be together, and if that meant waiting a little while longer then she could wait.

 


	10. 9

Over the next few days Nancy’s phone was silent.  She would sit at her desk at work and stare at it, as if to will a text from George to come through her phone.  Nancy was grateful that no one seemed to notice how often she was checking her phone.  Even though the sound for text message notifications was on, she wanted to be sure that she didn’t miss anything.  But by Friday she was trying to not overthink anything and decided that George was probably just busy with classes.  

 

On Saturday, Nancy went out to brunch with a couple of her friends from her hometown.  She had spent quite a bit of time with them since she had moved back.  It was a nice day for mid-October so they sat outside on the patio.  After they had ordered their mimosas Nancy’s phone buzzed, almost falling off the table.  Nancy lifted her sunglasses from her face so she could see the message clearly.  It was from George.  

 

“What are you up to, my kitten?”

 

Nancy’s heart skipped a beat.  His kitten?!  She smiled as she typed out a reply.

 

“Just having brunch with some friends.  What about you?”

 

Her friends asked her who had sent the text message, and Nancy blushed.  They immediately knew it was George.  They had heard all about George, of course.  Nancy told them that George was just seeing what she was doing, nothing of vast importance.  Then her phone buzzed again just as their drinks arrived.  

 

“Not much.  Thinking about you.”

 

“What are you thinking?”

 

“I keep thinking about kissing you last week.  And I think that I want to do it again soon.”

 

Heart fluttering in her chest, Nancy wrote a reply.

 

“I’d like that too.”

 

She put her phone in her purse for the duration of the meal so that she could focus on the conversation with her friends.  They were putting together the last minute touches on their Halloween party and wanted to know if Nancy thought people should bring their pumpkins already carved, for the carving contest, or carve them after they arrive.  Nancy laughed and advised them to have the guests carve after they arrive so that everyone had the same time frame and tools.  

 

After brunch was over, Nancy checked her phone before she started driving home.  She had a text message waiting for her, from George.

 

“I keep thinking about your long, soft hair.”

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

“It smells really good.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Nancy put her phone in the cup holder of her car and drove home so she could continue the conversation with George.  She queued up her favorite Josh Groban cd and sang along with the powerful ballads until she pulled into the driveway of her parents’ house.  She saw that another text message was waiting for her.

 

“So what did you have for brunch?”

 

She smiled.  He was making sure to continue the conversation.  

 

The rest of the day Nancy and George texted about what had gone on during the week.  She was happy to hear from him, but she wasn’t sure why suddenly he was so persistent.  She wanted to find out, so she told George that she was going to meet a friend for coffee the next afternoon in his town.  He told her that he would make it by before she drove back to the city.

 

True to his word, George showed up after watching a Sunday afternoon football game.  She’d been sitting and chatting with Gale for about an hour when George showed up.  Gale stuck around for a few minutes then knew to take her leave.  Nancy let George play with her fingers as they talked.  Moments slipped by slowly and each felt perfect as she looked into George’s deep, brown eyes.  Before Nancy realized what time is was, a barista let the couple know that the coffee shop was closing for the night.  

 

George walked Nancy outside and they both noticed that the temperature had dropped quite a bit and clouds were rolling in.  George wrapped Nancy up in his arms to keep her warm as they said good night.  There was lightning in the distant clouds while he leaned in to kiss her.  Before they could get too carried away, Nancy pulled her lips from his and looked into his eyes.

 

“Whats going on between us?  I know we have all this chemistry but I don’t want to lose you again.”

 

She searched his eyes, waiting for an answer.

 

“I promise you’re never going to lose my friendship.  I don’t want to lead you on.  Our lives are heading in different directions.  Starting a relationship would just be too risky.  I care about you and I don’t want to hurt you.  What if we just leave this open ended?  Leave it open for the the possibility?”

 

Nancy nodded in agreement.  

 

“I heart you, you know.”

 

He laughed, “I know.”

 

“And you totally have a crush on me.”

 

She watched his face light up with a sheepish grin, not arguing with her at all.  The lightning danced through the clouds again and as a gust of wind blew around them, Nancy let George kiss her one last time before he released her from his arms.  


	11. 10

The next weekend Nancy was invited along to go with George and Jack to enact a prank on a newlywed couple they knew who were on their honeymoon.  Nancy met the guys at the location but was unsure if she should show George any affection so she opted not to.  She and George listened as Jack explained the prank to them.  Somehow Jack had procured an excessive amount of Yellow Page books and wanted to tape all of the “questionable” ads all over the walls of the bedroom, then crumple up the rest of the pages and fill up the bedroom with them.  Nancy had to admit that it was a was a unique plan and she was glad to spend the day with both of the guys.

 

Nancy was responsible for going through all the books and pulling out all the escort ads from each book.  Once she was done, George would take the rest of the book and begin ripping the other pages out and started crumpling them up and tossing them all over the floor.  Once Nancy had pulled all of the ads that she was supposed to, she joined George on the floor and helped crumple up page after page.  Halfway through the day, Jack went out on a pizza run, leaving George and Nancy alone.

 

Nancy was moved to the edge of the bed after a trip to the restroom before Jack had left.  But once Jack was out the door, George came and sat next to her.  He put a hand on hers so that she would stop ripping pages from the book she was working on.  She looked up at him and met his gaze.  Nancy closed her eyes and he brushed through her hair with his fingers.  Then he drew her close and kissed her.  Their tongues met.  

 

George carefully guided her back onto the bed.  She felt his hand move up her spine, underneath her shirt.  Then the hand moved to the front and squeeze her left breast.  George lifted up her shirt and began to fondle both of her breasts as he kissed her stomach.  Then he cupped one breast at a time, under the bra, and took them both out so he could kiss, suck and touch them with ease.  Nancy could feel herself getting wet in her panties.

 

A few minutes after George exposed her breasts, the noise of Jack opening the front door made George and Nancy snap back to reality.  George lept from the bed and back to his spot on the floor.  Nancy quickly shoved her breasts back into her bra and pulled her shirt down.  Luckily, the bedroom was kept closed so that the crumpled papers wouldn’t cross the threshold into the living area.  Jack announced himself right as the couple finished finger combing through their hair, trying to give the appearance of innocence.  

 

Once they had finished packing the room with paper, the three went to a movie.  Nancy sat in the middle, her preferred seat when with with friends.  It was a film that was so unpopular that hardly anyone else was in the theater.  In the middle of the terrible movie, Jack got a call and left.  George already had his arm around Nancy and was rubbing her neck and shoulders.  After Jack left, George pulled Nancy close to him and he kissed her.  They made out until Jack returned, then carefully chose moments to share a few more kisses during the rest of the movie.  Afterwards, Jack and George were ready to head home.  George slowed his pace so that it matched Nancy.  He gave her a quick kiss goodbye and got in Jack’s car.  

 

On her way home, Nancy was confused.  It was like George wanted to be with her, but didn’t want anyone to know.  She wasn’t sure if he was ashamed of wanting to be with her, or if he simply wanted to wait until they could be in a relationship full time.  She chose to accept the affection he gave her and patiently wait.


	12. 11

A few days later, Nancy got some news from George that restored her faith in his feelings for her.  He had decided to change his major, which meant going to a different college.  And the college that he was most interested happened to be just outside of Nancy’s hometown.  When he broke the news to her, Nancy could hardly contain herself.  She felt like the thing she had hoped, wished, and prayed for was on the cusp of happening.  

 

“I have an interview on Friday afternoon at the college.”

 

“Are you excited?”

 

“Yeah.  A little nervous.”

 

“Don’t be.  You’ll be great.”

 

She could here him smiling through the phone.

 

“Thanks.  I like that you believe in me.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?  I think you could do anything that you put your mind to.”

 

“That means a lot, Nancy.  I really appreciate it.”

 

Her heart fluttered.  She liked knowing that she could make him feel confident and self assured.  He was, in her opinion, truly able to achieve his goal of becoming an architect, like he hoped.  It was a great aspiration and she fully supported his dream.  On the other hand, Nancy had been looking into going back to school, as well.  Her parents’ only stipulation was that she pay for part of it herself.  It wasn’t a completely unfair prerequisite, they just wanted her to be financially invested so that she had a reason to stick it out.  

 

“So what did your parents say about cosmetology school?”  George asked.

 

“They told me that I have to pay for some of it, but I can start as soon as I have the money together.”

 

“That’s great, Nancy!  I think you can handle that.”

 

“Yeah, it’s really not that terrible.  I find all of that stuff very interesting so I’m certain I can finish and then go on to find a job.  I just hate sitting in a classroom for a lecture, then have to study for hours at home.  I don’t do well on tests, either.  I think this will be the right place for me.” 

 

“Sounds like it.”

 

She liked that they could have a real conversation about important things.  When they had first met, Nancy never would have thought that George was the kind of guy who gave such well, thought-out advice.  But she had come to see that side of him and now…. Now she felt like, more than ever, that he was her soulmate.  He was the person she was meant to have in her life, always.

 

Soon, it was Friday and Nancy spent all day staring at the clock in her office, waiting to get off work and meet up with George.  The day dragged on, much longer than Fridays normally would for her.  Around 1:00, Nancy got a text message from George, letting her know that he was driving up to the college.  She wished him good luck and told him that she knew it would go well.  Her stomach was in her shoes until 4:35, when George sent her another message letting her know that the interview was over and that he would talk to her about it when they had dinner.

 

At 5:00, on the nose, Nancy grabbed her purse from under her desk and headed straight towards the elevator.  She refused to look at any of her coworkers so that she wouldn’t get caught in a conversation.  All she wanted was to be sitting next to George, possibly kissing him.  When that thought entered her mind, her heart pounded and her stomach churned with anticipation.  

 

When she got to the restaurant, Nancy spotted George, who was already seated at a table.  She smiled and made her way to him.  He stood up, when she arrived, and gave her a kiss on her lips then pulled her chair out for her.  After she sat down, Nancy watched George smile at her.  A piece of hair fell over her face, and George placed it behind her eye, making her blush.  

 

“You are so beautiful, Nancy.”

 

Her cheeks warmed again.

 

“Thank you.  You’re not too bad yourself, handsome.”

 

Their waitress came over and took their drink order and then left the couple alone again.  Nancy was tired of waiting so she asked how the interview went.

 

“It went really well.  I got accepted and I’ll be started after Christmas.”

 

Nancy felt relieved and excited.  Things had been so up and down between her and George and she was glad that things seemed to be coming together.  She and George spent the rest of the evening talking about what classes he would be taking and where he would live.  

 

A week later, Nancy was eager to hear from George on about his second meeting at the college.  She found herself staring at the clock at work, again.  Just as the clock hit 5:00, Nancy’s phone buzzed.  She quickly checked the text and it was from George, he was letting her know that he had finished and that he was on his way to her house.  Nancy excitedly drove to her house.  

 

When she got inside, George was sitting in the living room, talking with Nancy’s mom.  He had met her parents before, briefly, but never had to spend time with them without Nancy.  The picture of him sitting in her living room, looking comfortable as he talked with her mom, was one she would always cherish.  Nancy’s mom left the room and Nancy sat down next to George, letting him drape an arm around her shoulders.  

 

“How did it go today?”

 

She heard him sigh.

 

“Well, I’m not eligible for financial aid.  My parents make just over the line.”

 

“So what does that mean?”

 

There was a pause before George spoke.

 

“It means that it would be really difficult for me to go.  I want to do the master’s degree, which would add a few years on, as well.”

 

Nancy tried to absorb what he was saying, but it was difficult.  She hoped that he would be able to figure out a way to makes things work out.  She so desperately wanted to be with her.  She had never felt this way about someone.  As they talked late into the night, Nancy laid down in George’s lap and even started to fall asleep.  She felt his fingers brush through her hair.  Around midnight, George woke her up and told her that he needed to head home.

 

Nancy walked George to his car and then waved at him before he had even gotten inside the vehicle.  He looked at her, hurt that she was just going to walk away.  She laughed and gave him a hug.  He leaned in and kissed her, and she felt a hand move up her back, under her shirt.  The feeling of his hand warmed her up that cold November night.  She adored him.


	13. 12

The weekend before Christmas, Nancy headed to see her friends.  She had purchased football jerseys for Roberto and George since they were big fans of the city’s big National Football League team.  The guys loved their jerseys, and then were ready to play a video game.  For the next four hours, the three took turns playing Guitar Hero.  Nancy had only a few songs that she really felt comfortable playing so the rest of the time she was content to watch the guys.  During Roberto’s turns. George would sit next to Nancy and play with her hair.  She would lean close to him, and they’d kiss a little bit.  

 

When George left to head to work, Roberto and Nancy went to dinner and met up with Gale.  The three of them talked and caught up.  Gale was excited to have Nancy spend the night that evening, and had even bought a gingerbread house for them to work on.  After dinner was over, Nancy followed Gale, in her car, to Gale’s house.  

 

Nancy and Gale got to work on the gingerbread house right away.  Gale asked how things were going between her and George.  Nancy gave in to Gale’s request and told her friend everything that had been going on.

 

“So is he still planning on going to the college?”

 

“I think so.  He said that he was going to try and work it out.  I think he really wants to give us a real chance, too.  He has never been so attentive.  We have been talking for a couple of hours every night.  He’s been so different with me lately.”

 

Her friend seemed genuinely happy for Nancy, the only one who was skeptical was Roberto.  Anytime Nancy talked about George, Roberto would get annoyed and would immediately jump to the conclusion that George was flaky and didn’t care about Nancy at all.  Nancy chose to not believe Roberto, certain that he was still a little jealous that she turned him down over 18 months ago.  Gale and Danielle and Jack all wanted Nancy and George to make it, so Nancy felt even more inclined to ignore Roberto because of all the support.

 

The next day, Nancy met up with George before she headed back home.  They had dinner at an Italian restaurant and talked late into the evening.  George kept looking deeply into Nancy’s eyes, like he was searching her soul.  She felt tingles up her spine each time he moved a piece of hair from her face, or placed a hand on her knee.  It was these moments that she knew, in her heart, that he was her soulmate.  They were destined to be together, always.  It had been almost a year since their first kiss, and now it was like everything had shifted.  They had grown so close.

 

After dinner, Nancy got in his car so that they could keep talking.  When the conversation reached a lull, a few minutes after getting in the car, George leaned towards her and kissed her.  She returned his kiss and soon were wrapping arms around each other.  He squeezed her tightly.  The only imperfect thing about the moment was the gearshift between them.  Luckily, George kept his car clean, so they both left the front seats and George put down the back seat so there would be room to lay down.

 

He got on top of her and went for her neck, kissing it slowly.  She reached under his shirt and moved her hands up and down his back.  Then George sat up for a few seconds and removed his shirt, tossing it into the front seat.  He lifted Nancy’s shirt off of her and kissed her stomach.  She wanted him so badly.  She wanted to feel him inside of her.  The overwhelming desire to let him in her pants won over.  Nancy began to unbutton her jeans and then pull them down.  George helped her get her legs out of the jeans, and then pulled his own pants and boxer briefs from his body.  The last piece of clothing was Nancy’s bra.  He discarded that quickly and then they paused.  

 

Each seemed to want the same thing- to touch and explore the other’s naked body.  George lay next to Nancy, no longer on top of her, and with one finger, felt his way across her breasts.  Then circled her nipples and leaned over to suck on one.  She let out and a moan and then he took his finger back to tracing down her body, reaching the trimmed bush between her legs.  He felt underneath and touched the wetness that was flowing from inside her.  

 

Nancy began her exploration with George’s mouth.  She kissed him a few times and then worked her way down his neck and then to his chest, kissing him along the way.  When she got to his nipples, she sucked on them and kissed them.  She slowly made her way to his hardened, throbbing penis.  She put her mouth over it and licked it while she mouth her mouth from the lowest point to the tip.  He moaned and grabbed her hair.  She carefully licked his balls and held his penis in her hand while she kissed them.  The precum started to fall down his erection and landed on her hand.  

 

George moved back on top of Nancy and was ready to penetrate her.  She loved the feeling of his warm body against hers.  Just as he was about to darken her vaginal region with his penis, a car horn went off.  George laid down, quickly, next to Nancy and they laughed.  For the last hour there was no one else in the world but them, and the car alarm going off brought them back to reality.  Nancy looked at the time and realized that she needed to make her way home before it got too late.  They both put their clothes back on and kissed goodbye.  


	14. 13

...A few days went by and Nancy didn’t hear from George.

 

...A week went by and nothing.

 

...Two weeks…

 

...Three weeks…

 

By the fourth week, Nancy was inconsolable.  She had no idea what was going on and why she hadn’t heard from George.  She had sent a few text messages and called a couple of times, but he didn’t reply to anything.  

 

On the sixth week Nancy got an email from George.  She was anxious, worried what it would say, but she finally overcame her fear and opened the email.  

 

“Nancy, I’m sorry it took me so long to reach out to you.  After our last night together I felt like there were some elements missing.  I’m sorry.”

 

She was outraged.  Nancy called Roberto and told him about the email.  He told her that he and eroge had spoken the day before and that Roberto stressed to George that Nancy deserved an explanation.  Apparently George knew he had handled things badly but wasn’t sure what to say.  In an effort to smooth things over, George had sent the email.

 

After her conversation with Roberto, Nancy wasn’t really feeling that much happier.  She was mad.  She was furious, actually.  She didn’t like her emotions being toyed with and she deserved much more than a lame excuse that there were “elements missing”.  She sat down in front of her computer and typed out a reply.

 

“George, what’s missing is your commitment.  I hope one day you wake up and realize what you could have had.  And what you let go.”


	15. 14

It was 15 months later that Nancy met a new man, one that was dorky and intelligent.  He was a guy that Nancy didn’t even expect.  She had met him through her friends Hope and Derek, who had recently become engaged and were getting married in a few months.  They were already planning on going to his house for dinner, and asked him if they could bring their cute, single friend along.  He agreed.  

 

He wasn’t at all what Nancy thought he’d be by how her friends described him.  When he opened the door, there was a red haired man standing before her.  He had on a green polo shirt that was tucked into his jeans.  He wore tassels on his shoes, which was really very strange since her friends had said he was only 28.  

 

He had made a masterpiece of dinner- Beef Wellington.  She was impressed with his skills in the kitchen.  He was impressed with how easily she countered all his quick remarks.  Her friends spent most of the evening laughing at how Nancy could tear down his ego with her wit.  On the way home, Hope was still chuckling and Derek was singing along to the radio.  Nancy sat in the backseat, looking out the window as they sped down the road.  

 

When Nancy got home, she had a friend request on Facebook from him.  She smiled and accepted.  He told her that he had never met someone like her and he was intrigued.  The complement was received graciously and they conversation continued.  They chatted for hours, until early in the morning.  When Nancy finally went to bed, she felt excited and for the first time in a while, she went to sleep without thinking about George.

 

The summer went by quickly, and Nancy found herself falling in love.  She hadn’t been given this affection and kindness in a very long time.  Her parents were concerned that her free spirit wouldn’t mesh to well with his overly traditional lifestyle.  Nancy had embraced her artistic side and did well in cosmetology school, finishing as a top student in her class.  But she thought her parents were overthinking things.  She thought that her whims and love of colors made her endearing.  She felt that her mission was to make her boyfriend learn to unwind, like in the movie Runaway Bride.  

 

At the end of the summer, Hope and Derek were putting the final touches on their wedding.  Nancy had been named Hope’s maid of honor.  Derek and Hope had enlisted Nancy’s new boyfriend to be the officiant.  He was happy to be a part of the wedding.  But he became uncomfortable with the role when a few weeks before their nuptials that there seemed to be some irreconcilable differences.  It was very disconcerting to Nancy’s boyfriend.  A few days before the wedding, he backed out of being the officiant. The couple scrambled but found a new officiant, and wed on a beautiful afternoon in the country.  

 

Fighting between Nancy and her boyfriend ensued.  He felt betrayed that she didn’t back out of the wedding.

 

“Do you really think that i would have stood up there if I didn’t think that they would make it work?”

 

“Well, I didn’t think they would so that’s why I backed out!”

 

“I talked to Hope. She told me that, for all of his faults, she loved Derek and she felt that they could make things work.  I wouldn’t have stood next to her and let her make those vows if I didn’t think she meant them.”

 

“Still.”

 

“What?”

 

“You shouldn’t have been in that wedding!”

 

“Why?!”

 

“Because you should have taken my side!  How are we going to get married if you can’t even stand by a decision that I make!”

 

They had talked about getting married a few weeks before Hope and Derek’s wedding day.  He had even given Nancy a promise ring.  Which she now threw across his living room.

 

“Fine!  We don’t have to get married!  And even if we did- I’m allowed to have my own thoughts and disagree with you!”

 

She slammed the door behind her and drove home in a huff.  She was furious.  How could he expect her to always take his side, especially when she thought he was wrong.  It was hard for her to fall asleep that night.  She tossed and turned and even cried a little.  It was the first time she’d had such a yelling match with someone other than her parents.

 

The next day, she went to his house and saw him going to his car with someone else.  Another girl.  Nancy watched as he got the door for her and helped her into the passenger side of his black convertible.  He went around to the driver’s side, got in, and then pecked the girl next to him before backing out of his parking spot.  Nancy wasn’t sure how long that had been going on, and she didn’t care.  She went home and cried, heart broken.


	16. 15

It wasn’t until many years later, six years, in fact, that Nancy met another man that she allowed to call her his girlfriend.  She had gone on dates with plenty of guys, but nothing ever stuck, for one reason or another.  Some guys just didn’t seem like her type.  Others were too emotional.  One clearly wanted children, something that Nancy really hadn’t considered since she and George…

 

Part of her knew she was merely looking for a replacement for George.  They hadn’t gone that entire six years without talking.  A couple of years after she ended things with the red-headed boyfriend, George sent a message on Thanksgiving Day.  They talked for a few weeks, and even made plans for George to come visit.  But at the last minute he had to cancel for a family event, and then disappeared again.  

 

A couple of years after that, they met for coffee.  He finally admitted, out loud, to them having chemistry and apologized for how he ended things with her.  After that, Nancy felt like she had the closure she was looking for.  Nancy told George all about her life in the city- her great new job, her first apartment, and her friends.  She went on and on about how she liked where she was at in life, and was truly happy.  But on her way home, she began to think about how she had phrased things, worried that she had come off too narcissistic.  But they kept in touch a little bit after that, even though he never came around anytime she was in town for a visit.

 

But then she met Chad,  He was a manager of a store that she happened to meet in passing.  He had sparkling eyes and a bright smile.  She ran into him again a few days after their first encounter and he flirted with her.  Then she saw him at her gym the next weekend.  After that, he got her number and invited her to dinner.  Four months later, he got down on one knee and proposed.  And she said yes.  Her heart didn’t flutter around him, she didn’t feel the chemistry, but he was steady, attentive, hard-working, and believed in her.  After she had called her family and told them the news, she knew there was someone else that she had to tell.

 

She sat on her bed, phone in hand, text written.  She had yet to tap the “send” icon.  What would happen when the message was read?  How would the recipient respond to the words?  In her head she knew the outcome, but her heart wanted for something else.  Her heart wanted the same thing it had wanted for the last 10 years.  Here she sat, knowing that with two words the relationship that they had would change drastically.  Taking a deep breath, she tapped the digital envelope at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.   _ There _ , she thought,  _ the worst part is over _ .  She figured it would take some time to get an answer back, that was his M.O., but this time, this one time that a delayed response would have been welcome, the screen lit up and displayed a text message notification.  One word, just one.  That was how he summed up the last 10 years- one word.  And it told her everything she needed to know. 


	17. 16

George sat at his desk and tapped a pen, staring at his computer screen.  He was grateful for the distraction of a text message.  He swiped the screen and pulled up the message.  It was from Nancy.  There were the two words that he was scared to see.  He figured he might, one day.  It had been two years since he had seen her.  Those two words cut him to the core.

 

“I’m engaged.”

 

He quickly typed the word “congratulations” and sent it to her.  He set his phone in the holder and laid his head down on his desk.  A tear streamed down his face.  The last time he had seen Nancy she made such a big deal about how wonderful her city life was that he felt like he wouldn’t fit in her life.  So why did he feel like this?  

 

When he got home, he logged onto Facebook and searched for Nancy’s profile.  Her profile photo was of a mug that said “Does The Ring Make Me Look Engaged?” and showed her engagement ring next to the mug.  He sighed.  She was right about one thing, he regretted letting her go.  He called Jack and asked if he knew.  

 

“Yeah!  She called me already and asked if I would be her Mister-Of-Honor!  Glad she finally got over you!”

 

George rubbed his forehead, “Yeah, yeah.  Good for her.  She deserves a great guy.”

 

“Yeah, she really does.  I know you haven’t seen her a while and all, but she’s been doing really great.  Oh- hey I gotta go, one of the kids is pulling stuff out of the fridge.  Call me later!”

 

George went to his own refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer and chugged it.  Then he grabbed another and chugged it as well.  Nothing.  He didn’t even feel a little buzzed.  Annoyed that there were no more liquor stores in town, he drove for almost half an hour to a store on the outskirts.  He bought two bottles of whiskey and some rum.  He drove back to his apartment and started drinking glass after glass of whiskey.  

 

After half of the first bottle of whiskey, George began crying.  Not just a few tears, but actual streams.  He slumped against the wall and slid down until he was seated on the floor of his living room.  It had been years since he had kissed her, years since they almost made love in the back of car.  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked on the Facebook app.  He found Nancy’s profile and clicked to the previous profile photos until he found one of just her.

 

“You were right, Nancy.  You were rrriight, “ he slurred his words as he talked to the photo. 

 

“I miss you.  I took advantage of you.  And now you’re gone.  I’m such a fucking idiot.  Roberto was right.  I let you go and I don’t deserve you back.  Goodbye, Nancy.  I love you, Nancy.  I never told you that, did I?  Nope.  I was too scared.  But I did love you.  I still love you.”

 

He took a few swigs of whiskey, straight from the bottle.  He continued to declare his undying love to the photo on his cell phone until he passed out.  The next morning he called in sick to work, something he rarely ever did, so they didn’t question whether he was or not.  He smacked into the doorway of the bathroom on his way to the toilet to relieve himself.  

 

He laid down on his bed and he thoughts found their way back to Nancy.  The last time they had spoken it seemed like she was willing to give him another chance.  But that was two years ago.  Now she had moved on.  Her heart was someone else’s and he’d never get it back.  He had dated a few other girls over the years, but none of them were her.  

 

He missed her gorgeous, soft hair.  He longed to look in her deep, brown eyes.  He would give anything to feel her lips against his, just one more time.  He hated himself.  He caused all of this with his stupid excuse of “elements missing” between them.  Her reply that stated that it was his commitment that was missing was spot on.  It had really hit home.  But he was so frustrated about not being able to the the architecture program that it just seemed easier to cut all ties that would make him relive the pain and disappointment.  He was selfish that day.

 

He was selfish when he texted her that Thanksgiving Day, as well.  He missed her so much, but he didn’t think it would go so far.  He never planned on telling her that he wanted to kiss her, and touch her body.  All those feelings that he’d felt before came rushing back.  And he knew she had grown up some, too, and that scared him.  In his mind, she deserved to be with a man who was ready to be serious and get married.  But he wasn’t there just yet.  And as the weeks went on, the phone sex got more intense.  It went from being about kissing, to touching her breasts, all the way to talking about putting himself inside her and pounding her until they both came.  And he had cum many nights, in his hand and he masturbated while they talked about how they would please each other.  

 

He sat there, alone, and wished that he had the courage to tell her how he truly felt.  But every time he did, he ended up hurting her.  Why was she the one thing that scared him?  It was a stupid question.  He knew the answer.  It scared him to know that she could see through him.  She saw his good side and his bad, and loved him regardless.  He could hide things about himself with everyone else, usually.  But she made him vulnerable.  She could bring his walls down and that wasn’t something he was comfortable with.  He had chosen to leave her, and this was the punishment he brought upon himself.

 

A month later, he got another text message from Nancy, asking for his address.  He set his phone down and weighed the options.  They had been friends for a long time, he should go.  But would he really survive watching her vow her life, and body, to someone else?  It would hurt too much, he decided, so he left the message unanswered.  

 

5 months later, on April 2nd, he got a text message from a number he didn't recognize.

 

“It’s Nancy!  Got a new number.”

 

Thanks to Jack, who was in the wedding, he knew what day Nancy would be permanently off the market.  The day of the wedding found George to be a total mess.  He took a photo of the wedding invitation while he was at Jack’s one night.  He was tempted to go and see if she really was going to marry this other guy.  He drove to the city, reached the venue, then sat in his car in the parking lot across the street.  When the ceremony was over he saw Nancy, in a beautiful white dress.  She kissed her new husband and they disappeared inside the awaiting limo.  His heart ached.  What a fool he had been.


	18. 17

George sat and stared at the computer screen at work. It was a normal day and he was staying fairly busy. He got a text message from Jack on his lunch break.

“Nancy is coming into town next week. I know she’d love to see you at dinner on Friday night.”

“I don’t know.”

“DUDE, you have got to get over this. If you guys were soulmates then you’d be together. But you’re not together. So clearly she was wrong about the soulmates thing. Also, don’t tell anyone I told you that she always thought you were her soulmate.”

“Well, if we are, I really screwed it up.”

“Did you mess up? Yes. Has she moved passed it? Yes. Just come on Friday night. Roberto and Jorge will be there, too. And I know you haven’t seen them in a while.”

“I’ll think about it, but not making any promises.”

Friday night came and George decided that he would stay indoors all weekend. He left work and went straight home ,he even ordered a pizza for dinner so he wouldn’t be caught out somewhere and possibly run into Nancy. He did the same thing the next day. He wanted to avoid running into her so he played a few video games and watched a few movies that he had recorded on his DVR. When Sunday evening rolled around, he met up with some friends because he felt like that would be a safe activity. 

When he got to his friends house, George sat down and joined in on the game of Dungeons and Dragons that was going on. He hadn’t played in a while but was grateful for the distraction. He drank a few beers, faster than normal. He had also brought a bottle of whiskey with him and drank about half of it during the game. His friends didn’t say anything and he didn’t offer any information about what was going on. At the end of the evening, he went home and fell asleep before even taking his clothes off.

It was nine months later that found George still thinking about Nancy. She had been married for almost a year and half and he was still beating himself up over how he had treated her, and not being able to tell her how he really felt. He had gotten so caught up in thoughts of her that there had been a few occasions where he would close his eyes and think back to that night in the back of car, and then he’d masturbate to the remembrance of her naked body. It didn’t take seeing her naked to get him hard, he only had to think about touching her hair and looking into her eyes. It was agony, and he was just making it worse on himself.

He had tried dating Katrina for a little while. She had a history with Jorge, but it had been years since they broke up. It wasn’t that George really liked her, but he was bored and hadn’t kissed anyone in a while. The truth was, also, Katrina was dirty. Not like she was always thinking about sex, but in the way of actually, physically dirty. She had dirty hair, and smelled odd. He could only deal with so much and ended things just a two weeks after he started paying for her meals. He knew that she really just wanted a sugar daddy and he didn’t like her enough to be in that position. When he was honest with himself, he was just trying to forget about Nancy, but dating someone so extremely different from Nancy wasn’t the answer.

In the early autumn, George was actually feeling a little less angry at himself. He had spent time with his friends over the summer and tried to get out more. He began learning how to brew his own beer, as a hobby, and really found that he liked it. The whole process was pretty simple, and he liked having something fun to do with his evenings and weekends. His friends liked being able to try out the different flavors. In the last weekend of September, George had planned to invite his friends over for a tasting. But they all replied that they were heading out to a local bar. Instead of staying home, George decided to join them.

The bar wasn’t too crowded, the local football team was playing an away game so there were fewer college students and no alumni floating around. His saw a couple of guys, they waved him over, and he ordered a drink. He wasn’t usually one to go out to bars so he didn’t realize there was karaoke, until he saw someone singing on a small stage in the corner. She had brown hair and was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and some red shoes. 

“Never thought we’d have a last kiss. Never imagined we’d end like thing, Your name, forever the name on my lips.”

The words hit home. Then he realized that the person singing them could have written them herself.

“Nancy.” 

Two of George’s friend turned and looked at him. He hadn’t meant to say her name out loud, and he really didn’t know that he did until his friends asked him to repeat what he had said. He shook his head and listened to the rest of the song she was singing. 

“So I’ll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep. I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe. And I keep up with our old friends just to ask them how you are. I hope it’s nice where you are. And I hope the sun shines and it’s a beautiful day and something reminds you that you should have stayed. You can plan for a change in the weather and time but I never planned on you changing your mind…”

Again, the words hit George, as if she was singing them just to him. And as she reached the chorus, their eyes met. She didn’t look away. She continued singing, straight to him, as if she meant each word for him.

“All that I know is I don’t know how to be something you miss. Never thought we’d have a last kiss. Never imagined it’d end like this. Your name, forever the name on my lips. Just like our last kiss. Your name forever the name on my lips. Your name forever the name on my lips. Just like our last.”

He heard the room erupt in cheers, most from their mutual friends Jorge, Roberto, and Jack. He watched her take a bow and then exit the stage. She walked over the the guys and pick up her drink from the table. Jack said something that caused the group to laugh, and George watched Nancy’s face light up with a smile. He did a double take, her red lips were distracting and sexy. 

Before he could walk over, she saw him and they shared a gaze, just for a moment. Then he watched as she looked away and whispered something to a girl with the group. The girl looked at Nancy, and then at George, then back to Nancy. They began whispering again. George watched them do this for a few minutes, and then he decided to just go over and greet Nancy.

“Great job up there.”

“WHAT?” Nancy yelled in George’s ear, clearly not hearing him in the crowded bar.

“YOU SOUNDED GREAT UP THERE.”

“THANK YOU.”

“HOW’VE YOU BEEN?”

“WHAT?”

“H-HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?”

She backed away, smiled and nodded, indicating that she was doing well. He wanted to say more, but she walked over to the bar with her friend. His heart was pounding, and his palms were sweaty. She had been close enough to him that he could smell her perfume. He had no idea what scent it was but it was intoxicating. 

He didn’t really remember how she had smelled the last time he saw her, but whatever she was wearing made him want to push her up against a wall and kiss her. He didn’t think that he’d ever get that chance again, but he wanted her. Not only did he want to make love to her, but he wanted to fuck her. Hard. Preferably in a bathroom stall. His thoughts ran off and began to give him an erection. He left his empty beer bottle on Roberto’s table and went to the men’s room.

George occupied a stall and pulled his pants down. He held his hard penis in his hand and began to rub it back and forth. His thoughts were of Nancy, of course. He closed his eyes and imagined backing her up to a wall and kissing her, passionately. Then he would run a hand from her neck to the v in her t-shirt. He’d feel her heart pounding. Then he’d pick her up, her legs wrapped around his waist, and take her into a bathroom stall. Then he’d rip down her jeans and panties and fuck her, right there. He came.


	19. 18

After George cleaned up, and washed his hands, he returned to the table where Jack and Roberto were hanging out.  THey started catching up and talking.  It was enough of a distraction that he didn’t notice Nancy and her friend get up on the stage to sing.  The guys quieted down and listened as the girls sang a, truly awful, rendition of Barbie Girl.  They laughed as Nancy sang the guy’s part.  

 

After the song, the girls came back to the table and Nancy’s friend introduced herself.

 

“I’m Eliza.  Friend of Nancy.  Daughter of Enid and drinker of-” she motioned to all the glasses and bottles on the table,”-things!”

 

He chuckled, “I’m George.”

 

Eliza pulled on George’s shirt so he would be eye-to-eye with the 4’9” young woman.

 

“I know you’re George.  I know all about you.”

 

“You do?”

 

“Nancy told me all about you.”

 

“She did?”

 

Eliza nodded.  

 

“What did she say?”

 

“I can’t tell you that.”

 

“Can I guess?”

 

Eliza nodded, again.

 

“Does she still think about me?”

 

Eliza nodded.

 

“Does she think about me in a good way?”

 

Eliza used her hand to gesture “so-so”

 

“Does she love me?”

 

Eliza didn’t nod.  She didn’t make any hand gestures.  She just stared at him.  

 

“Does she love me?”  George repeated the question.

 

Eliza quickly glanced at Nancy and then looked back to George.  Then she nodded, once.  

 

That was all he needed.  He just needed the hope that maybe things weren’t completely over and he hadn’t ruined his love life forever.  Yes, she was married, but that didn’t mean that one day she  _ wouldn’t  _ be married.  And if she still loved him after all this time, then maybe all he had to do was tell her that he loved her, as well.  

 

After another hour, everyone decided to head over to one of the 24 hour diners and get some pancakes and waffles.  Roberto and Eliza ran off in one direction and he saw Nancy waiting at the front of the bar.  George got his car and pulled up in front of her.  

 

“Need a ride?”

 

She smiled.

 

“Sure, thanks.”

 

He sent a quick text to Roberto, letting him know that Nancy had a ride.  Then they pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the diner.  There was silence for a couple of minutes and then Nancy broke it.

 

“So, how have you been?”

 

“Good.  I’m good.”

 

“That’s… good.”

 

“How is being married?  Everything you thought it would be?”

 

“Not exactly.”

 

He looked at her, quickly, and then went back to paying attention to the road.

 

“I just imagined it…. I don’t know.  Maybe more like…. I don’t know.  It’s just not what I thought.”

 

“How so?”

 

“Well, he works a lot.  And I mean, a lot.  We spend maybe 30 minutes together a day.  We don’t have sex.  We don’t go out.  And he just has this mentality that I need to keep the house totally spotless all the time because I don’t have a ‘real’ job.”

 

George looked at her again, signalling her to continue.

 

“I hurt my leg pretty bad three years ago.  It’s well enough that I can walk, but I can’t stand for too long or it will give out.  And I can’t walk too far.  And it aches all the time.  And with the insurance we had i wasn’t able to see my regular doctor.  It’s been a mess.  I get that I’m home a lot so I should have the time, but my leg can’t take it.  He doesn’t really understand.  The worse my leg has gotten the more time he spends at work.”

 

Not sure what to say, George kept his mouth shut.  He wanted to pull the car over and jump her right there.  He wanted to take her away from the horrible man she had married.  He wanted to carry her to his bed and make love to her and never let her leave.  He wanted to protect her.  And that wasn’t something he had ever thought about anyone before.  

 

They arrived shortly after some of the others and George mingled with his friends.  He kept stealing looks at Nancy.  She sat next to Eliza and chatted with Jack and Jorge most of the time.  Her red lips kept bringing his attention to her mouth.  He couldn’t help it.  He lost track of the conversation he was supposed to be listening to about five different times.  When everyone had finished their meals, George got nervous.  

 

When the girls got up to use the restroom, George tapped Roberto’s shoulder and asked where they were staying.  Roberto made a face at him and denied an answer.

 

“Do you know or not?”

 

“Yeah, I know.  But I’m not telling you.”

 

“Come on, man.  Please.”

 

Roberto turned away from George and didn’t divulge any information.  The only other option was to ask Jack.  Jack had gone home before everyone went to the diner, so there was a good chance that he was asleep.  But George didn’t care.  Everyone made their way to their cars and the girls got in one that George suspected to be Nancy’s.  Or Eliza’s.  He wasn’t sure.  But they drove away into the night.  He opened his phone and called Jack.

 

It wasn’t easy to beg for the hotel and room number but George had to tell her how he felt.  It took a couple of times calling for Jack to answer the phone.  Jack answered, groggily, and then gave George the information, without question.  There wasn’t really much of a goodbye that George could make out from his friend.  But he didn’t care.  He got in the car and headed towards the hotel.  

 

When he arrived, in slipped into the hallway behind some other guests.  He quickly navigated his way to the room where Nancy was staying.  He raised a hand to knock, but then pulled it away.  He wasn’t sure what to say.  So he started pacing back and forth in front of her door.  Ten minutes later he had gathered enough courage and stopped.  He stood in front of the door and this time, he knocked.  Nancy opened the door.

 

“George?  What are you doing here?”

 

“I need to tell you something.”

 

“What’s up?”

 

Heart pounding, palms sweaty, perspiration dripping down his temples, he said three words.

 

“I love you.”

 

There was a long pause and then he began to walk back the way he had come.  He heard the door close behind him. _  I love you.  That’s it?  That’s all I’m going to tell her?  I came all this way.  Come on, George!  Tell her!  Tell her everything! _  He walked back to the door of Nancy’s room and knocked again.  Nancy answered.

 

“I love you.  I’ve always loved you.”

 

There was another pause and then George walked away.   _ Come on, George, that’s it?  That’s all she gets after 12 years? _  Determined to finish what he had started, George walked back to Nancy’s room, hopefully, for the last time.  He knocked on the door.  Nancy, once more, opened it.

 

“Nancy, I love you.  I’ve always loved you.  And I always will love you.”

 

Nancy began to close the door and he placed a hand on it, stopping her.

 

“I have loved you since the first time I kissed you.  I was stupid to let you go.  I was scared and I wasn’t ready to be with you.  To be with my soulmate.  But I mean it when I say that I will never not love you.  I was a coward by not telling you all of this before.  And I understand if you don’t love me, or if you never want to see me again.  I just need you to know that I am so sorry for hurting you.  And I am so sorry I didn’t tell you I love you a long time ago.”

 

He let a tear fall down his cheek.  There were more than one falling down Nancy’s cheeks.  Then, unexpectedly, Eliza’s face popped around the door, floating head style, and said, in a terrible British accent, 

 

“Sorry, are you talking to me, mate?”

 

Eliza!”

 

Nancy pushed her friend’s head out of the way and closed the door.  George waited for it to open up again, but it didn’t.  He hung his head and walked away.  When he reached his car, he got inside and sat for a moment.  Defeated, he drove home.  When he got inside of his apartment, he took off his clothes and climbed into bed.  The cold, hard truth was that if he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want anyone.


	20. 19

Nancy glared at Eliza.  George had just poured his heart out and now her friend had completely ruined the moment.

 

“What were you thinking, Eliza?!”

 

“I was thinking that I’m awkward in serious moments and a little humor always livens things up!”

 

Nancy crossed her arms and glared harder at her friend.

 

“But that was  _ my  _ serious moment, not yours!”

 

“Well, what were you going to do?  Tell him you love him back and kiss him?”

 

It was a fair question.  A large part of Nancy, in that moment, wanted to do just what Eliza had described.  But just because that was her first impulse didn’t mean that Nancy could act on it, not anymore.  She hadn’t been tested like this since she got married.  Or even since she had met Chad.  It was a lot to take in.  The man that she had loved for so long was finally saying the words that she had wanted to hear since they met 12 years ago.  

 

“I don’t know, Eliza.  I don’t know what to do.”

 

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

 

“Yes.  Yes, of course I do.  I’ve never not had feelings for him.”

 

Nancy sat down on a chair and held her head in her hands as she leaned over.  She had waited so long to hear George say those words.  For years she had oped that he would.  And now, after she was married, he finally delivered the speech of his undying affection.  It wasn’t remotely fair.  She loved her husband, but she also still loved George.  Yes, she had wished that George had told her before she got married, but could she ignore his words?  Her heart had pounded hard when they first made eye contact at the bar.  And riding with him to the diner had felt so normal, so comfortable.  Even now, she still felt like he was her soulmate.  

 

“Nancy, what are you thinking?”

 

“I’m thinking that I need to know for sure that he’s serious.  I’m not just going to drop my whole unless I know that he is fully committed.”

 

Eliza nodded in agreement.  

 

“I also have to be one hundred and ten percent sure that he’s my soulmate.”

 

“How do you plan to do that?”

 

“I have an idea.”

 

Nancy quickly changed her clothes and made sure to pick up a room key on her way out.  When she got to the doors to the parking lot there was rain pouring.  She took a deep breath and ran to her car.  She dropped her car keys.  She bent over to pick them up and as she clicked the button to unlock the car, she saw George’s car pulling out of a parking spot.   She ran in front of his car, completely drenched.  He stopped the car and got out.

 

“Nancy!  What are you doing?  I could have hit you!”

 

“Did you really mean what you said?  Do you really love me?”

 

He took steps towards her.

 

“Yes.  I meant every word.”

 

The lights of the car made a silhouette as he reached her.

 

“I wish I could trust that you wouldn’t leave again.”

 

He cupped her face in one hand and held her close to him with the other.

 

“Never.  I’ll never leave you.  I love you, Nancy.  I want you.”

 

The storm raged on, lightning flashing all around and thunder clapping.  The rain poured down harder.  And for the first time in nine years, they kissed.  He held her tightly and she wrapped her arms around him.  Even in the midst of the torrential downpour, everything seemed to stop.  After a few minutes, they both pulled back from the kiss.  He whispered in her ear.

 

“I want to make love to you.”

 

Nancy looked in his eyes and nodded.  He took her to the passenger side of the car and helped her in.  He ran around to the driver’s side and got in.  The drive to his apartment was silent, neither wanted to ruin what was about to happen.  Nancy reached over and held George’s hand the whole way to their destination.  When they arrived, it was still raining.  They both dashed to his front door. 

 

Once they were inside, George and Nancy stood across from each other.  Nancy shivered a little.  He closed the gap between them with one step.

 

“Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”

 

The shared a laugh at the incredibly cheesy line.  Then started kissing.  George pulled Nancy’s shirt from her body then took off his own.  They held each other close, both becoming a little warmer.  Then Nancy unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her legs.  George did the same.  She could feel his eyes on her, clearly appreciating her matching bra and panties.  He touched one of her bra straps and traced down to the cup.  He held it in his hand and kissed her again. 

 

She could feel his erection against her leg.  She let out a moan as one of his hands reached the clasp of her red, lace bra.  He had trouble undoing to clasp but eventually got what he wanted, and the bra fell to the floor.  She let him pick her up and carry her to the bedroom.  She laid on her back as he pulled his underwear off, and then took off her panties.  He didn’t crawl on top of her, yet.  He licked her inner thighs until he was at the lips between her legs.  He pushed her legs apart and began to tease her with his tongue.  She moaned.  

 

He tickled her clit with his tongue and put a finger inside of her.  He pulsed the finger in and out as he kissed her inner thighs.  He moved his mouth up and kissed around her pelvis.  Then he pulled his fingers out and climbed on top of her.  He kissed her mouth and she grabbed his hair.  

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“Yes,” she whispered.

 

He moved down a bit to where he could get inside of her.  She was already feeling so sexually intoxicated that she knew an orgasm was near.  The feeling of him inside her confirmed what she had known to be true for twelve years- he was her soulmate.  His penis fit perfectly in her and she felt safe as he thrusted, slowly.  He started going faster and before he could cum, she orgasmed.  A little while later he did his final thrusts and came, as well.  He stayed on top of her for a minute and kissed her.  They laid in the afterglow for nearly ten minutes before either one said anything.  He was the one that broke the silence.

 

“So is it just me or was that-”

 

“Amazing,” Nancy finished his sentence.  She looked over at him.  “It was amazing.”

 

“I feel like we should have been doing this since that night we first kissed.”

 

She laid her head on his chest and felt his arms wrap around her waist.  Nothing had ever felt more right or destined.  She agreed with what George had said.  They should have made love a long time ago.  Everything fit so perfectly, he knew exactly what to do her.  She wished that there was a quick fix for the situation she was in.  She loved George, and she always would.  And now she had to confirmation she needed.  He was undeniably her soulmate.  She felt George starting to play with her hair.  

 

“I love you, Nancy.”

 

She looked at him, he propped himself up on one arm and brushed her cheek with a hand.  She closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle touch.  She shivered, her body had cooled down again.  He smiled and left the room, completely naked.  Nancy snuck a peek of his penis and balls as he walked around the bed and into the living room.  He returned seconds later with a blanket.  He carefully placed it over her and then snuggled up next to her and placed his body up against hers.  

 

He began playing with her hair again.

 

“George, I just… I really have to know that you’re not going to ditch me again.  I need to know that you’re all in.”

 

George stopped playing with Nancy’s hair.  

 

“I’ll do whatever you need me to do to prove it.  I don’t want to lose you again.”

 

They embraced and then Nancy laid her head on his chest again.  He asked if they could make love again.  She smiled and said yes.

 

He got on top of her and slid inside of her using the cum that was still between her legs.  She loved feeling his body on top of hers.  She ran her fingers through his hair and he moved back and forth.  Then she grabbed his round buttcheeks and squeezed them, causing him to thrust faster.  He grabbed one of her breasts and kissed her neck as he continued to thrust.  When he started to climax, Nancy wrapped her legs around George and grabbed his neck with her hands.  She started moaning louder.

 

“Oh, yes!  Yes!  Oh, George, yes!”

 

He thrusted harder until she came.  He finished just seconds behind her, and then laid down next to her so he could catch his breath.  They both panted as he positioned an arm under her and moved her head to his chest.  He held her and kissed her head, which she returned by kissing his chest.  Not too long later, Nancy fell asleep in the arms of the man she had loved for twelve years.


	21. 20

True to his word, and much to Nancy’s delight, George kept his word about proving to her that he was serious.  In just a few weeks he called Nancy to let her know that he had scheduled numerous interviews in her city and that he would be there for about a week.  It wasn’t hard for Nancy to slip away and meet George for dinner a couple of times.  The first night she was on her best behavior and only let him give her a long kiss after dinner.  The next time, things went further and Nancy wound up in his bed at his hotel.  It wasn’t entirely his fault, she had worn her red lipstick and kept touching him under the table while they ate.

 

Just before Thanksgiving, George called her to let her know that he had settled on a job and would like her help looking for a place to live.  She spent a few days looking online and narrowed the choices down to four different apartment complexes fairly close to where she was living.  He came up to the city the Monday after Thanksgiving and they took their time touring the different options.  He wanted something that would be big enough for both of them, whenever that day came along.  

 

For Nancy, her home life was pretty much the same as it had been for the last six months.  Chad was staying busy with work and didn’t notice the time and effort that Nancy spent investing in her relationship with George.  When Christmas arrived, Nancy was stressed with wrapping gifts and baking for parties.  The best part of those couple of weeks was knowing that George had moved in o his new place and she had an escape.  They didn’t always end up in the bedroom, sometimes they just cuddled on the sofa.  He was extremely supportive and understanding during the hard transition that she had to go through, and never pushed her to do things faster than she was comfortable with.  

 

By the New Year, Nancy and Chad had more than a few fights and tensions were high.  She was ready to walk out the door.  A couple of days after New Years, they had a big fight and Chad got in his car to drive around and cool off.  Nancy took the opportunity to pull her suitcases from a closet and throw the last of her things in one that hadn’t been packed yet.  She’d packed as much as possible and blamed her lack of clothes to cleaning out for the new year.  It only took her 30 minutes to finish.  She threw her bags in her car and drove away.

 

She had text messaged George when she was leaving the house, so he was waiting for her when she pulled into the parking lot.  He helped her with her bags and then held her as she cried.  She wanted out of her loveless marriage to Chad, she wanted to be with George, but leaving someone that she had married wasn’t easy.  She knew that Chad wasn’t being a partner and didn’t understand how limited she was because of her injury.  It was time to leave and start over with George. She was grateful that George let her cry.  She wasn’t exactly sure when she fell asleep but when she woke up, her head was in George’s lap.  

 

Nancy looked at her phone and she had a lot of missed calls and several voicemails from Chad.  In the first three voicemails he seemed concerned.  But all of the ones after that were mean and threatening.  In the very last voicemail, Chad called her a bitch and told her that he was going to file for divorce if she didn’t call him in 24 hours.  George sat and listened to all of the messages with her.

 

“Do you want to go back and talk to him?”

 

Nancy shook her head.

 

“No.  I want to be with you, no looking back.”

 

George smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.  He scooted off the sofa and disappeared to the bedroom.  When he came back he had a small box in his hand.  Nancy opened the gift and smiled.  Inside the box was a tiny photo of George for the locket he had given all those years ago.  She pulled the locket out of a jewelry box and handed it to George.  He slipped the photo inside and then put the necklace on her.  

 

A few weeks later, Nancy was served with divorce papers.  She knew it was coming and she was glad that Chad hadn’t taken long.  She had the messenger wait while she signed the papers.  Chad was being pretty fair with how things were to be divided, which was helpful.  She had sat down with him and a mediator shortly after she left and he was willing to give her half of the money from the house being sold.  Neither wanted to prolong the process and it ended up being fairly amicable.  

 

The day finally arrived that Nancy got confirmation that she was legally divorced.  She thought about making dinner plans, but when she texted George he said that he had something planned for her already.  It had completely escaped Nancy’s mind that it was Valentine’s Day.  She found it to be ironic.  She searched through her closet for a dress and came across the little black dress she had worn so long ago.  She tried it one and it still, magically, fit.  An hour later, George was home and Nancy was ready for dinner.  

 

He took her to a romantic French restaurant that she really liked.  The interior made the patrons feel like they were sitting on a patio in Paris, without being cheesy.  The twinkle lights gave just enough light.  They enjoyed a delicious meal and shared a chocolate souffle for dessert.  Afterwards, he took her on a romantic carriage ride.  They stopped at a spot in a park that had a gorgeous fountain and a gazebo.  They walked to the center of the gazebo and he got down on one knee.

 

“Nancy, we’ve had such a long journey, and it was not easy.  But I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  I never want to waste another minute not being your husband.  Nancy, will you marry me?”

 

Nancy watched him pull a black box from her pocket.  When he opened it, there was a solitaire, princess cut, diamond on a plain white gold band.  She had tears streaming down her face as she nodded.  He took the ring and placed it no the fourth finger of her left hand.  He stood up and kissed her.  There was clapping and cheering, and Nancy saw their friends heading to the gazebo.  She continued to cry as their friends surrounded them and congratulated the couple.  Jack wrapped an arm around each of them and hugged them tightly.

 

“I’m so happy for you guys!  Never thought this day would come.  Never, never, never.”

 

Nancy laughed and continued talking to her friends, and showing off her ring.  It really had been a long journey.  But her initial instinct about George was right.  She knew he would be someone important in her life.  It took them a long time, too long, to get to this point, but she knew it would last.  Every hurt, every heart ache had led them both to this.  She knew that he wouldn’t walk away this time, she knew he was all in.  She looked at George and smiled as she showed her ring to Eliza.  He smiled back.  He was hers, and now it was the beginning of always.


	22. 21

Nancy sat at her desk and looked at the words she had typed.  She had spent a lot of time, over the last few weeks, pouring her heart and soul into the story.  She had done research and stayed up late many nights just to work on the details.  The ending wasn’t exactly what she had hoped, but she had plenty of time to tweak before the final edit.  She took her hands off of the keyboard and placed them under her chin.  Her thoughts began to drift.

 

She thought about George.  She missed him.  Sometimes it seemed like forever since they had talked, other times it seemed like moments ago.  Her heart ached to be in his arms.  She let out a sigh and went back to the beginning of her story so she could read through it all and make sure the emotional tone was just right.  She loved the start of the story, it truly set the tone.  

 

Three hours later, she had made plenty of notes and a few spelling corrections.  She would leave the grammatical errors to someone a little more knowledgeable.  She didn’t have a degree in English, and she was sure that even if someone did they might not be able to fully comprehend the rule about commas.  That rule never really made a whole lot of sense to her.  When she was a little more satisfied with her project, she saved the document and closed her laptop.  She looked out the window and decided it was time to head to the grocery store.

 

She made her way through the aisles of the store and picked a few things that wouldn’t take too much preparation.  She picked out a bag of salad and a roasted chicken.  She wasn’t in the mood to do too much, normal for a day when she had been staring at a computer for hours on end.  She got through the check-out line quickly and went straight home.  She made sure everything was neat and clean and then put dinner on a plate.  She enjoyed the evenings that she was able to eat dinner alone.  It gave her time to reflect on her day, and sometimes she got inspired.  

 

As she finished her meal, she looked at her phone.  She had sent George a text message, but he had yet to respond.  Waiting to hear from him still made her anxious.  She found herself staring at the phone, trying to will a response from him,  She put her plate in the dishwasher and the leftovers in the refrigerator.  She washed her face and got in bed,  The reality hit her.  Maybe she was really never going to hear from him again.

 

They hadn’t been in the same room in over four years.  They hadn’t spoken on the phone in three.  And the last time she had heard from him was when she had gotten engaged.  Now, it was two years later and all she wanted was to reconnect.  She just wanted to hear his voice.  She had called off her wedding two months before she walked down the aisle and not even that seemed to matter to George.  She was sure that Jack had probably told George what happened.  

 

Unable to sleep, Nancy opened the journal she kept in college.  She read all about how she and George met, the year they were friends, the year they were more, and the times when they had grown closer, just for him to disappear again.   _ Maybe Roberto was right _ , she thought,  _ maybe George never really cared.  But if that’s true then why did he keep coming back to me over and over?   _ All she really ever wanted were answers.  She couldn’t understand why he bolted every time things got serious.  Nancy got up from bed and opened her laptop.  The draft of her story was her way of trying to get closure, to make sense of the last 12 years.  

 

As Nancy poured over the manuscript, she cried a little.  For the last few years all she could wonder was “What if we had made it”?  The only way to explore that was by rewriting the ending of her own story.  In a moment of weakness, she printed out the entire story, except everything that happened after she texted him to let him know that she was engaged.  She found a large envelope and wrote the last address she had for George, his parents house, on the front.  

 

The next morning, Nancy drove to the post office and paid for the envelope to be mailed overnight, with a signature from the recipient, so she knew that it arrived.  When she got back in her car, Nancy had a minor panic attack.  She couldn’t believe that she had just mailed the story to George.  It was the longest love letter that she had ever written, and if he didn’t think she wa crazy before, he would have no doubt now.  

 

A few days went by, and she didn’t hear anything from George.  She had gotten confirmation that he mom had signed for the envelope, but that didn’t mean that he’d read it.  Or that he would even reach out to her.  On that rainy Saturday, Nancy was busy cleaning the floors of her apartment when there was a knock at the door.  She wasn’t expecting anyone.  When she looked through the peep hole, there was a man, facing away from her, at her door step.  She opened the door, just a crack.  He turned around.  He was holding some papers in his hand.  Then he looked in her eyes.

 

“Is this true?”

 

It was George.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

He pulled the papers to where he could read from them.  He went to the very last page and began to read.

 

“One word, just one.  That was how he summed up the last 10 years- one word.  And it told her everything she needed to know.  How could he possibly know that all she wanted was for him to knock on her door and tell her why he’d broken her heart so many times.  She wanted an explanation.  She wanted to see if there was any hope.  Yes, she was engaged to someone, but the truth was that her heart would always belong to George.  She loved him, always had, always would.  She never doubted that he would be a part of her life, she would never not believe that the night of their first kiss was truly the beginning of always.”

 

George looked up at her, his hair and clothes were wet from the rain, the ink on the papers began to run.  

 

“Is this true?”

 

“I meant every word.”

 

She watched as he tossed the pages on the ground.  Then he took her in his arms and they kissed.  Kissing him was exactly like she remembered, better even.  Even though he was dripping in rain water warmth exuded from his body.  He lifted her from the ground and carried her to the bedroom.  As he looked down at her she smiled, cautiously.

 

“What?”  He asked.

 

“I don’t want to lose you again.”

 

“You won’t.  I love you.  And I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you if I have to.  I don’t want to lose you either.  I’ve lived a life without you and I don’t want to have to do that anymore.  I love you so much and this moment, I want this to be the beginning of our always,” Then he kissed her.  

 

Fireworks.


End file.
